As the Sakura blooms, so does love
by Maniac-Reader18
Summary: Taniyama Mai, 17, an average high school student. So says the narcissist. She was known as prodigy at her school but not one of the SPR team knows. But this wasn't about her being a genius. Here, she was the timid, short-tempered teengirl who kept a secret.About how she copes with her job and school with her life on the line. How love blossoms around her and a certain tea lover.
1. Pain

Authors Note: My second attempt on Ghost Hunt fanfic.

**Prologue**

It was late into the night and the moon phase at that time didn't allow much light into the room. The occupant of the bed was in deep slumber, so relaxed that she wouldn't tolerate any disturbance. That, however, was concluded from outside view. When entering her dream- or shall I say her nightmare- one must take great care not to lose their life inside the astral plane. It was often said that when you die in a dream, you're dead in the real world. This applied to every psychics, according to the authors of each and every paranormal books available at the slumbering teen girl's library. That's why when her dream took a 360 degree turn that she feared for her own life.

She began to shiver uncontrollably and her whole muscle fibre twitched. Her blanket seemed to bind her; restricting her legs' wild movements. The bed frame shook under her as she continued to flail miserably. Tear streaked down her flushed cheeks, flowing fluidly and rapidly. Both her hands gripped the bed sheets until her knuckles became white. After a few minutes, the situation quieted down. Outside, an owl from a nearby tree blinked before soaring through the night sky.

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

She sat up , drenched in sweat. Her pajamas were sticking to her skin- almost clinging. Her breaths were uneven and raspy. If the room was silent enough, you can possibly hear the flow of blood, surging around her body to provide a supply of oxygen . Her heart began to beat faster and faster that it hurts. She clenched a fistful of her black satin dress around her chest with her right hand, willing for her heart to stop hurting. Her left hand was still gripping the bed sheet tightly, as if her life depended on it.

_Breathe, Mai. Breath! Just like the therapy. In and out. In and out. Deep breath and slowly release._

After a few minutes of breathing exercise, she began to respire normally. Her heart rate fell to normal levels and the pain was receding. The sweats had already dried up along with her tears. Slowly, she released her vise-grip off the bed sheet and her left hand fall to her side while her right hand was still above her heart. She felt her heartbeat and was relived that it was beating just like it was supposed to be; not too rushed and not too slow.

Her face scrunched as headache invaded her head, the pounding type. Both her hands flew to grasp her head. Without a support, her body leaned sideways and she was positioned lying down within seconds. Trying her best, she massaged her temple rather clumsily. She barely have control of her fingers as the pain intensified. Mustering all her strength, she pulled herself away her bed and searched blindly in the darkness for her emergency kit situated on a table by her bed. This kit was none like others. It was specifically made for her and only her. A personal emergency kit which consist of her medicines in case she had a sudden attack. Even though her condition was stable, more than often did the attack came critically. Sometimes, she was brought to the emergency room due to the acute pain she felt.

Sensing the familiar grains of the wooden box, she immediately threw open the box and all the contents spilled onto her bed sheets. Waking in the middle of a night almost frequently, her eyes were trained to be nocturnal and she was able to identify which medicine to take. Being prepared as she is, she always keep a bottle or two of water by her bedside. Grabbing one of them, she chugged down her medicine with the water. Knowing that her pain will slowly subside, she positioned herself back to the lying posture. Due to doubled exhaustion- from lack of sleep and the attack- she soon fell asleep.

* * *

Towards the centre of Shibuya, a young clad in black was still up and about; despite how late it was. His guardian had retired to bed not too long ago of fatigue. The teen was often called a workaholic and unsociable; two characteristics which strayed far from his looks. Truth to be told, he caught almost every females' attention. Emphasis on the word 'almost'. His assistant was one of the few: since she didn't believe the fake smile plastered onto his face when they first met. However, she was in love with the narcissus; not that he knows. Both were dense enough not to realize that they loved each other, as pointed by their other regulars in the psychic team. When told this, the said assistant, Taniyama Mai , profusely and blatantly deny of her love for her boss. Though with a flustered- almost tomato-like - face, she was convincing no one.

Anyway, Shibuya Kazuya was still reviewing some emails related to his profession, as one would say, a ghost hunter. He had created a special email address for the company he's currently running which was widely known as Shibuya Psychic Research. He had distributed a number of name cards, which includes the mail address, to promote his work through past clients. The mail was constantly buzzing with new mails of cases every hour, though a bunch of them were faux. He was getting impatient as he scrolled down the monitor as more fake cases appeared. In the dim light, he was frustrated by the upcoming headache and he decided to call the day off but then, he saw it. A new case. A real one. Most importantly, one that caught his eyes.

The contents:

/ This is Takeda. I need help regarding the haunting in my house. My wife, my daughter and I was just settling down at our new house for not more than 2 months now. At first, there was nothing out of ordinary but things started to happen when my wife was left alone at home. I was working late while my daughter spent the night sleeping-over at a friend's. My wife was busying herself with her paperworks when the light flickered and she was left in the dark a few minutes later. She thought it was just a normal blackout so she took a flashlight from a drawer in the study room ( we had a few in case of emergency ) and went for the breaker room.

She didn't make it too far from the room when she tripped. She tried to get back up but couldn't. She explained that she felt someone pinning her down and she can sense the cool sensation on her back through her parka. Then, she had difficulties breathing as she was further pressed against the floor. After a while, as she was close to fainting, she was released. The lights were back on immediately. Relieved, she turned her body so she was facing the ceiling and she sobbed.

Who knows how long she lay on the ground when I finally get back home. It was late so I used my spare key to get in. I was terrified when I saw her in a fetal position on the ground!

So far, that incident was the worse to have happened. I can't imagine how worse it will get if left alone. Please, help us. /

Naru was impressed to say the least. He hadn't expect anything to catch his attention at all; not at this hour. Interested, he jotted down the contact info of the client on a note pad before he, too, retired to bed. Not because of fatigue or anything but he can't tire himself now that he had a case to solve.


	2. The park

Author's note: **Thank you** everyone for the support and the favorites and the reviews! I wasn't expecting that my story will attract anyone's attention since my first one doesn't really receive much support. **Thanks for loving/liking the story so far. ****I'll work hard to make it enjoyable.**

* * *

Chapter 2:

The dawn was breaking as streaks of sunlight chased the shadow of darkness. While at that, the moon waved goodbye before disappearing from view. As usual, a constant beeping of the alarm clock can be heard echoing throughout the room. The ventilation system for the room were a small space underneath the door and the slight opening of the sliding window. The owner of the room had purposely left it open to breathe in fresh night breeze whenever she can't sleep. It had proved to be the best option since she can easily doze off soon after. To say in another way, all of her stress and burdens were temporarily lifted and she felt at ease.

Snapping open her eyes, she remained lying down: knowing well that if she suddenly move, she would have dizziness as an after effect of last night's attack. As a daily routine, she did the breathing exercise before she decided to face the day. Everything went smoothly from when she showered up to eating her breakfast. She glanced at the wall clock. 07:45, _That's enough time to walk to school._ She went out of her apartment after wearing her winter wear over her school uniform.

During her freshmen year, she had lost her way to school multiples of time. As a result, she was always late. That's the only discipline trouble she got- tardiness. There was this one time when she accidentally stumble upon a park. Coincidentally, it was spring so she enjoyed the view of blooming Sakura while forgetting that she needed to get to school on time. As time passed by, a soft gush of wind blew the Sakura tree and the leaves danced, twirling as if overjoyed by the company.

Since that day, she frequently went by the park. Conveniently enough, the park proved to be a shortcut to her school. She was alone for a very long time and she really needed to just let it all out once in a while. So, the park provided a perfect place for her to unwind. It's a place she cherished very much. She felt secure in the park; the same feeling she gets when being with her SPR family.

Noticing that she might be late if she stayed longer, she began to step away from the serene ambience and into the vibrant world. As she neared her school, she saw a swarm of students going the same way as hers. Their laughter echoed from within the sound of chatting. All of a sudden, she can hear something ringing. She realized too late that the ringing was in her head. When her bestfriend, Michiru, saw her, Mai was leaning against one of the Sakura tree with her eyes close and her face scrunched up. Her hands were limp at her sides. Michiru was fast to reach her.

"Mai! Are you alright?" She exclaimed as soon as she got to her.

"Um, daijoubu. It's just a headache," Mai replied, opening her eyes as she smiled.

"Here, hold this. I'll get you to the nurse's office," Mochiru said as she handed her bag to Mai.

"There's no need for that Michiru. I'm okay."

Mai reassured her by trying to walk but she wobbled and nearly fall to the ground but Michiru helped her up.

"See? Don't be stubborn, Mai. It's for your own good," Michiru lightly scolded.

Mai just nodded and took hold of Michiru's bag while Michiru slung Mai's arm around her shoulder. Feeling weak, Mai found herself leaning to Michiru. The lack of sleep finally caught up with her. They then walked towards the school with the nurse's office as their destination. All the way there, Michiru supported Mai's weight. The former was worried about her dear friend as it seemed that Mai was quite underweight of which her small frame complemented.

When they arrived, the sickbay was fortunately unlocked so they let themselves in. It turned out that the nurse had came early today.

"Ohayou gozaimasu sensei," They both greeted the nurse who was brewing the coffee.

"Ah, Ohayou. What's wrong?" The nurse asked, startled by their presence.

"She had a headache earlier and she seemed to be in so much pain so I brought her here," Michiru explained.

"It was not a big deal though," Mai tried to deny but the nurse didn't buy her excuse.

"Ara, that's not good. Here, lie down a bit. Taniyama, is it? I've been seeing you frequently here. Perhaps it's best to go to the hospital for a checkup?" The sensei reasoned as she gestured to a bed resembling a hospital bed.

"Yes, I'm Taniyama Mai. No, it's fine, Sensei. I'm sorry to have bothered you so often."

"Not at all! I'm just worried about you, that's all. But I won't force you to go if you don't want to," The sensei replied as she realized that she may have offend her patient.

Mai laid down on the bed as instructed and saw that Michiru was still there.

"I'm okay. Just go to class, Michiru. When I feel well, I'll go into class. Don't worry," Mai said as she handed Michiru's bag back.

"Can't I stay here? It can't hurt to miss a few lesson to accompany you. Right?" Michiru joked.

"Michiru! Mou, you just want to skip class, don't you?" Mai pouted.

"I'm just joking. I'm going now. You'll be okay alone?" Michiru asked. She knew full well how Mai hated to be alone.

"Un. Besides sensei is here. I'll be fine," Mai replied with a small smile.

Michiru lingered for a few more second, as if she was still unsure the honesty of Mai's answer. Since Mai seemed to have empathy, she nodded; urging Michiru to turn back and step away. Her friend gave a sigh before giving in on Mai's persuasion. _Really, sometimes she can be persistent, that Mai._

"Wait, Taniyama. Here's the medicine," The nurse gave her a tablet of paracetamol and a glass of water.

Mai sat up and gulped down the medicine. Her face changed a bit when she tasted the bitterness but reverted back as the tablet was swallowed. Although she was taking medicine quite a number of time, she can't get used to its bitterness. If anything, she hated medicine.

"Arigatou sensei," She said as she laid back on the bed.

"Now rest. I'll be here when you need me," Sensei said warmly as she pulled up the blanket to cover Mai.

Due to the drowsiness effect by the drug, she was easily lulled to sleep. A rather dreamless sleep at that. When sensei saw that she was fast asleep, she unconsciously smiled. She remembered when her own daughter insisted she was fine but then collapsed due to high fever. She didn't want another incident like that to happen so she worked as a school nurse at her daughter's school. This school, to be exact.

Back in the SPR office, Naru was in his dimmed office, still skimming and deleting a few faux cases. Although he had one case in mind, he intended to search a more interesting case but so far, none had caught his attention. Therefore, he decided to take the case he read last night. Now, he just have to wait for the school hour to end; he thought that if he stopped disturbing his assistant's school time, maybe she'll gain more brain cells.

* * *

Author's note: What a lame ending. Sorry for the wait and thank you for waiting.


	3. Martial art and a bit of Mai's past

Author's note: Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3:

The bell rang which signified that lunch was over. All the students were rushing to their lockers and to their classes, crowding the hallway. At this rate, everyone will be late. Being an obedient freshmen, a teen girl was trying to walk past a slow-paced seniors who didn't seemed to care whether or not they will be late.

"Excuse me, can I get past? I'm running late already," she asked politely with a soft voice.

"Huh? So what?! I don't care," exclaimed one of the male senior rudely.

His other friends looked uncomfortable by his actions and words. His height intimidated the girl, so as his brash tone. She really didn't want to get into trouble and taint her record so she just slipped in between a small space to get through. However, the male senior was not satisfied with her intrusion that he held her back.

"Hey! I haven't finished talking yet," the senior yelled.

"B-but..."

A crowd was starting to form a circle with them in the middle. The kouhai was getting more and more nervous plus she didn't like to be the centre of attention. No one seemed to be brave enough to dissolve the brewing one-sided 'fracas'. That was until another girl, a senpai, break away from the circle to the centre.

"Would you mind letting her go? She had a class now," a calm voice came out of her lips.

The male senior didn't sense a dangerous tone as he provoked her,"It's not my problem. Besides, why would I listen to a wimp like you?"

A vein popped at her forehead. She was trying very hard to control herself. She took several deep breaths to calm herself.

"He didn't know what he's getting into!"

Some of the bystanders were whispering rumours and whatnot. It appeared that the male senior was the only one not knowing the school's legend.

"I repeat, let her go. Don't let me repeat again."

"Make me," he said smugly.

"Don't you regret later," she warned as she lunged towards the boy.

He was taken aback and while at that, his hold on the junior loosened and the kouhai took the opportunity to break lose. In just a few seconds, he was down on the ground, holding his stomach in pain. The crowd cleared as soon as the saviour walked by with the junior tailing her.

"Etto, senpai? Arigatou for saving me," the junior expressed her gratitude.

"It's nothing. That's why I learned martial art; to help those who needs it. And call me Mai. I'm Taniyama Mai. What's your name?"

"Hai, Mai-san. My name is Takeda Sunao. It's weird, I know," Sunao-chan admitted.

"No, no it's not. It's a good name, Sunao-chan."

"Arigatou, Taniyama-san," the young girl blushed slightly.

"It's the truth and please drop the honorifics. Just call me Mai," she insisted.

"If you say so, M-Mai," the junior replied, stuttering a bit. She was taught to always use a proper term for a senior so she wasn't used to call someone by their first name.

"Didn't you have a class to go to? Go on along then," Mai asked.

"Ah, hai! Once again, thank you for saving me," Sunao-chan said as she bowed before rushing to her next class. Mai sighed as she observed the flustered junior.

"Now, I shall enter my own class," she muttered to herself.

Upon her arrival, she saw that all the students were noisy and disorganized. Immediately she knew that the teacher was not in yet. She slid open the classroom's door and she was greeted with a silence. The students looked at her before whispering to each other in a hushed voices. She can feel the tense atmosphere but she willed herself to enter the class and took a seat behind Michiru by the window.

"Ne, Mai. I heard that you did it again," Michiru said as she turned back to her swiftly.

"News does spread fast. It was just a few minutes ago!" Mai exclaimed as she rest her head on the table.

"Never underestimate the power of rumours! You know, some of the story was altered and sounds more than what really had happened. I'm surprised with all the 'violence' you did, none make it to your records," Michiru elaborated.

"What I'm doing is not violence. I was just defending the poor junior. Besides, all I did was stopping a bully. They won't be reporting to the teachers. They didn't dare to," Mai countered.

"That's true," Michiru agreed.

"Putting that aside, how are you feeling? You're probably okay since you did beat the crap out of the bully."

"I'm fine, I guess. You know I can't let him do as he pleases," Mai replied.

"Yeah, I know. Since you're Mai, you'll still defend the girl even if you didn't feel well. You're that selfless. Why don't you just take care of yourself and not the others once in a while?" Michiru asked even though she knew it was rhetorical. She knew Mai was raised to be that way. It was rooted in Mai.

As expected, Mai didn't answer. Michiru had asked the same question over and over again but Mai's answer had always been the same. She can't. There's a reason behind her answer and Michiru was one of the only few who knew.

* * *

During her younger year, she was an easy target; whether it was bullying, kidnapping or even murder. At the time, she was barely 5 years old. She was out grocery shopping with her mother. With too much sugar intake, she became hyped up within a short duration. She ran around the store and her mother can't keep up.

Suddenly, shadow loomed over the shop. It was dark. The front metal gate was closing. All the customers were puzzled when two masked men began to shout out.

"If you want to be unharmed, don't make any noise or attempt to call the police. Or else you'll face the consequences !"

As if to prove his point, he revealed a revolver from his chest pocket.

"Gather up front! Now, we'll collect your phones so hand them in willingly," the second man said as he tossed an empty sack to the nearby shopper.

The customer obeyed his command, fearing for their safety. Mai's mother was among the group. She just hoped that wherever Mai is, she would stay hidden. However, luck was not on her side as a high pitch voice called out.

"Mommy? Where are you? Why is it dark?" Mai said, walking around without knowing anything.

Since it was dark, she can't see very well and tripped over something.

"Mommy, it hurts. I'm scared," Mai sobbed.

The two burglars were getting suspicious. Someone was still around. They began to look for the source of the voice.

"Where's the kid?!"

Mai's mother was getting more and more restless. She can't stand the fact that her only daughter was still in the dark with the burglars hunting her down.

"There you are. Come out here you!" The second man said. He was grinning with a murderous intent.

"No!No! Mom, help me!"

Being unable to stop herself, Mai's mother stood up and tackled the burglar down. Then, she immediately engulfed Mai in an embrace. The man was beyond pissed off and be reached for his gun. The first man tried to warn him but blinded with anger, the second man pointed to barrel to the mother-daughter pair and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Time seemed to have stopped for Mai. Her eyes were glazed as she remembered how her mother had died in her arms as well as the warm blood splashed onto her face due to the impact of the bullet. How she had gone hysterics before she was taken away by a police officer to be checked for injuries, however with much difficulties.

Michiru, who realized that Mai was no longer in the class with her emotionally, began to snap her out of it. She was hinted by the unshed tears in Mai's eyes.

"Mai, listen to me. It's not your fault. I'm sorry I brought it up. Please, be with me," Michiru pleaded as she sensed Mai going into panic attack.

Mai heard her well but she can't help that guilty feeling whenever she recalled about her mother's death not when she was the cause. If only she hadn't be so hyper that day, if only she stayed by her mother's side, her mother will probably be alive now.

"Mai, please."

Mai began to collect herself and tried to keep calm. She didn't want to upset anyone or cause a fuss in school. She needed to maintain her image and she didn't want to wallow in self pity forever. She has to move on someday.

"I'm okay. I'll be fine. Thanks for worrying," Mai reassured.

After all that, the teacher went into class and soon, the lesson began.


	4. Satei Hato Kissaten

Author's Note: Thank You for reading, for the reviews, the favourites and for following the story and me as an author. I really appreciate them.

* * *

Chapter 4:

The school hours went by so fast. During the last period, Mai and Michiru shared the same class so they were walking out the school gate together after they did their duty. Since Michiru was still concerned about Mai's health, she let Mai to write the class journal while she erased the board.

"I'll accompany you to the train station. I was planning to shop for a bit before returning home anyways," Michiru elaborated as she knew Mai will reject her offer since Mai didn't like to trouble other people.

"Okay. Then, let's go. If I'm late again, Naru will lecture me," Mai replied.

"Don't you have time before your working hours? I thought you start at seven. It's barely six now," Michiru pondered.

"Yes, I do. Usually, I grab for a bite at the café not too far from the office," Mai explained.

"Oh, where you had a part time before? I heard that the chocolate mousse is stupendous and the coffee is the best in town," Michiru complimented as animated drool can be seen dripping off her parted lips.

"Hmm, yes. I really recommend the place for hanging out," Mai advertised. Besides, the owner paid well so she might as well lure more people to come and have a nice coffee.

"Maybe when we have a free time, we can hang out at the café together. Just tell me if you had a day-off," Michiru said.

"Okay, until then. I do hope Naru will let me off for a day or two once in a while," Mai replied.

They bid goodbye to each other as they split ways; Michiru to the newly opened bakery while Mai entered the train station. The bullet train was arriving when she entered so she brisk-walk to the train. The train station was packed so she was having a hard time to pass through. She was shoved multiples of time by the horde of people entering and leaving the train. Somehow used to it, she began to go against the wave of people and into the train.

The train whirled past so many places and Mai found herself enjoying the scenery as it changes from a less busy city to a megalopolis. Shibuya town was located in the capital city of Japan which is Tokyo. The place was always hectic and went around the clock. The city was rarely deserted for Shibuya was concentrated with shopping malls and complexes. Also, it was one of the best tourist attraction in Tokyo. The city was so vibrant and alive that sometimes people didn't realize the existence of a 'red zone'. A dangerous zone. It was where all the gangsters teamed up and claimed their territories. That's why Mai was scared to return home after 9 o'clock.

Without noticing it, the train had stopped at the Shibuya train station. After hearing the announcement, Mai gathered her school bag and packed her Ipod back into her jacket's pocket. Stepping off the train, she went straight to the station's exit. She looked at her wrist watch and saw that she had at least 45 minutes before her shift at SPR starts. She decided to take her time when she eat dinner near her workplace. To get rid of her loneliness, she began to hum her favourite song that her mom used to sing to her as a lullaby. Although she felt a tinge of sadness, she really liked the song as the memories of her time with her mom flooded her mind along with the warmth of a mother's love.

She didn't notice that she was already at the café's door until a familiar voice greeted her.

"Welcome to the Satei Hato kissaten. We are having a..." the voice trailed off as the waitress recognized Mai.

She excused herself from her partner and turned to speak to Mai,"Hello Mai! It's been a while."

Mai seemed to only snap out from her daydream. Upon seeing her ex- part time partner.

"Oh! Rie-chan, indeed it has. How's your entrance exam? I heard you stopped working for a long duration of time to prepare for it," Mai asked as she opened the door inwards to the café.

"Ah, yes. I'm accepted to the college I wanted! I received the letter a week ago and I decided to continue working part time when I have time," Rie replied enthusiastically.

They both went in and Mai greeted the barista- who is also the owner of the café.

"It's been a while Tenchou (manager). How have you been?" Mai asked as she bowed slightly: a courtesy she was always taught by her late mother as a sign of respect.

"Ah, Mai-chan. It's nice to see you. Why did you suddenly stopped coming over last month?"

"Etto, how do I say this? I was forced to resign when my boss went back to his origin country so I can't afford to go to and fro Shibuya. But he had rehired me when he came back not too long ago so I'm going to eat here often. Besides, I was very... busy last month but I do want to visit this café. I'm so sorry," Mai replied.

"Is that so? Then, have some baguette and your favourite frappucino. Don't worry, it's on the house," the owner said as she gave Mai a warm smile.

"But I don't want to trouble you...," Mai began to disagree but a look at the manager, she sighed in defeat.

Mai made her way to her usual spot; a seat beside the window in sight of the door. She can easily see people entering and leaving the coffeehouse that way. She enjoyed observing her surrounding as she listened to the soft music playing in the café. The aromatic of coffee was very soothing and the airy atmosphere was comforting. She really love this place.

She ate her baguette with gratitude in her heart and she drank in bliss. She was very relaxed as this place seemed to have felt like a second home. After finishing her food and frappucino, she thanked the manager and also her colleagues for all the time they had spent together when she worked at the coffeehouse before exiting the café with a huge smile on her face.

However, when she saw her wristwatch, she had panicked. She had only 10 minutes before her shift started and the SPR office is a good 15 minutes away from where she is. As she thought of her health, she decided not to run but instead brisk-walk as fast as she could in big strides. She fastened her pace with hope that she can arrive on time. The bystanders were seeing a frantic high school girl walk in an ungraceful way. They just shook their heads and thought,_ it's good to be youths._


	5. Case File: Takeda

Author's Note: Thank you for stopping by and read my work. I hope you enjoy it. All reviews appreciated and you all have my eternal gratitude. Oh crap, I sound so formal. On with the story. And oh, I'm now updating with my new laptop starting from the previous chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

The wall clock was ticking. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The common room was empty; not a single soul was present. The working desk was still tidy and the chair haven't been occupied. The person in question has yet to arrive. It was none other than Taniyama Mai, assistant to Shibuya Kazuya. The boss of the office was being quiet as usual. However, he was constantly looking at the time and his patience thinned with every passing second. First, he had to keep himself from calling her school's headmaster and pull Mai out from school. Now, he had to wait for her to arrive and clock in her shift. She was late for 3 minutes even though she had the break between her school and work. An hour at that. _She surely had more than enough time. _

The front bell jingled as the door swung open. A soft gust of wind entered the warm office for a moment before the newcomer closed the door silently. She had hoped that Naru didn't hear her enter but then she realized the front bell by the door had rung. She face-palmed before muttering to herself,_ idiot_. Naru had suggested that they get one of those bell when they had a break-in a few months back. That time, as always Mai was late and both Naru and Lin were in their respective offices. The men hadn't heard a thing but when Mai came in, she noticed that some of her things went missing but Naru stated that she might just misplaced them but he was proven wrong when he saw a silhouette hiding behind the curtains. Lin had acted as soon as Naru signaled him and the thief was caught red-handed. The very next day,the jingling of a bell welcomed Mai into the office.

A deep voice sliced through the silence,"Mai, you're late again. Make me tea and the clients- a married couple and their daughter- are coming in about 15 minutes." Naru was out of his office without any sound before he started speaking.

Mai hanged her winter wear at the coat rack and placed her schoolbag on her desk before walking to the kitchenette. She was already so accustomed to making tea that it became a part of her routine and her hands remembered what to do. Maybe the only activity she will look graceful would be in a tea ceremony but then again, such delicate event will be difficult for a clumsy like her.

"What client? You didn't tell me earlier on!," Mai complained.

"I just finished skimming through the SPR inbox late last night. Besides, I'm sure you were sleeping like a log already," Naru stated as he ended with an insult.

_If only it's true, I can barely keep my eyes open even though I had fallen asleep in the nurse's office._

Mai sighed and responded weakly,"Okay, tea for six."

Naru seemed taken aback by her obvious lack of energy. She usually let off steam and marched to the kitchenette angrily while muttering how he resembled a jerk every single time. No, he hadn't expect Mai to act so... off. He didn't want to disturb Mai by asking because she might freak out that he was being considerate and that might result to an accident._ It's sometimes amazing that Mai had the tendency to encounter trouble even when doing mundane thing such as walking._ Naru shook his head before re-entering his workplace.

At the makeshift kitchen, Mai was thinking while she waited for the water to boil. She was remembering her physics lesson that heat was distributed in a liquid by a convectional current. She also recalled back in her geography class that convectional current was responsible for the movement of plates. Mai had decided that whenever she had the time, she would revise everything mentally to make sure she will not be left behind in a lesson especially if she was 'forced' to rest in the sickbay by Michiru.

When the kettle whistled, Mai was jerked back into reality. She turned off the gas stove and reached for the upper cabinet and took out a glass jar of tea leaves. The jar was labeled 'Lemon Myrtle'. She had arranged the jars last night and put them in a way she can easily take one out without digging deep into the cabinet. She had planned earlier on that for the next few weeks, she would make Lemon Myrtle tea for Naru, Lin and anyone who came by the SPR.

After she was done brewing the tea leaves in the tea maker, she poured the tea into three mugs first for the three of them in the office. She walked over to Naru's office and knocked on the door; all the while carrying a tray with three mugs of tea on it. When she had the green light from Naru, she twisted the doorknob open and entered. Inside, Naru was sitting in front of his desktop but he wasn't looking at the monitor; no longer anyway. He looked directly at the doorway where Mai was and cleared his throat.

"Nice aroma. This time it's lemon?" Naru asked as he smelt the tea.

"Yes, Lemon Myrtle. I see that you noticed that I've tried some new tea," Mai replied as she walked nearer and placed the mug on his desk.

"Of course, I do. Now I shall drink. Do you want a feedback for this or not?" Naru said smugly.

"Do as you please but first, I'm going to send Lin his tea."

Mai exited Naru's office and walked a bit before facing to her right. She knocked twice and open the door. Lin appeared as if he was anticipating her. Perhaps, he heard Mai earlier during her exchange of words with the narcissist - or maybe he realized that Mai created a code when she knocked. _Twice for tea and thrice when she called for me when a client come. _Either way, he thanked Mai for the tea and took a sip. Mai had slipped out unnoticed.

Not too long after, Lin heard a knock on his door. Twice. Thrice.

"I'll be out in a minute, Taniyama-san."

_I guess it's time to work, huh._

But before Lin step away from his desk, he heard a loud 'Eeh!'. Concerned, he went out of his office in a flash. He saw a young teenage girl covering her mouth with her left hand and pointed at Mai with her other hand. A question mark began to form in Lin's mind. Naru was looking very puzzled at the girl's sudden exclamation.

"Ah, excuse my daughter for her rudeness. She's not always like..." The women in her early thirties said before trailing off as she saw Mai.

Mai was also looking at the mother-daughter pair, flabbergasted. She hadn't notice beforehand that they both have the same family name. She face-palmed in her mind. Deciding to take initiative, Naru cleared his throat rather loudly. As if a play button was pushed, everyone was back from the staring contest.

The mother was the first to say something,"Taniyama-san?"

"Good evening, Sensei. Evening to you too Sunao-chan," Mai greeted as she bowed slightly.

"Senpai? Do you perhaps work here?" Without realizing it, Sunao used the honorifics again instead of just calling her 'Mai'. Besides, old habits hard to die.

"That would be a yes. Here, have a seat first," Mai gestured to the sofa.

It was then that every one who worked in the office noticed a man, also in his early thirties, together with the mother- daughter pair._ Naru did mention a married couple and their daughter._ The man took a seat, followed by his wife and their daughter.

"I'll fetch the tea now and explain later," Mai stated as she retreated back to the kitchenette.

"So, Takeda-san. I've read your email regarding the haunting in your house and it caught my attention. Would you share more details about it?" Naru asked as he was getting impatient.

"Another incident happened lately. My daughter here was doing her revision for a monthly test until midnight last 2 days. It would be beneficial if you hear from her yourself," Takeda said.

Sunao seemed reluctant but a convincing nod from her mother made her speak up. Lin had stopped typing for a moment to hear what the daughter had to say.

"It was late and I was getting sleepy so I went out from my room and sat on the couch in the living room. I thought maybe if I rest my brain for a bit, I can study more efficiently. After a few minutes, I felt thirsty and was about to take some water from the refrigerator but all of a sudden I can hear a voice. It was hushed at first but it escalated to a very high pitch in a flash. It lasted for about a minute before it's gone. Because of that, I can't really hear properly the next day but I'm better now," Sunao explained.

She cringed slightly when she mentioned the high pitch voice. It was as if she can still hear it. Well, she has not sleep well after that happened.

"Sorry for taking so long. Here, the tea. It's Chamomile. It can help you sleep better," Mai offered to Sunao.

No one had realized when she came back into the common room. Neither did they know how Mai knew Sunao was having a hard time sleeping.

"Arigatou, Senpai."

Then, she handed the Takedas the still warm Lemon Myrtle tea. Both thanked her for her concern and sipped with much elegance.

"Pleasant fragrant. Taniyama-san, you are very knowledgeable about tea," Takeda Junko, the school nurse and the mother of Sunao, complimented.

"It was nothing really," Mai replied.

The interview continued on and Naru was satisfied on how co-operative the Takeda family was.

"Alright, I'll accept the case. Make an arrangement for our team's sleeping quarter and a base where we monitor the situation. My assistant, Mai, will provide the necessary details," Naru decided and he slipped back into his office. Lin also did the same.

"I heard Shibuya-san is the best man to consult when it comes to this field of work. I'm very thankful that he decides to take the case," Takeda mentioned.

"That's true I suppose. He's a workaholic and a genius; a deadly combination. As a friend, he would be a very strong ally but as a foe, I'm can't imagine. Anyway, Takeda-san, we need at least two rooms to sleep in and a room for our base. I hope that's not too demanding."

"That can be arranged. Besides, I- or in this case, we- are still waiting for your explanation," Junko-san said as she saw her daughter was eager to know.

"Before anything, a refill anyone?"

Three simultaneous 'yes' filled the air. The Takeda was liking Mai's tea; I mean, why not? Her tea even reached the narcissist's standards.

And so, she spent more or less fifteen minutes explaining how she got her job in SPR.


	6. The team grouped together

Author's note: Thanks for all the support and for waiting.

* * *

Chapter 6:

Mai was excused from work half an hour later. Naru had decided that she should go home early after contacting the team to pack and rest so she wouldn't be late for work the next day. Despite being thankful about leaving early, she didn't like the fact that Naru must add the part regarding her tardiness. Nevertheless, she made Naru one last cup of tea before leaving. It became some sort of her occupational habit that she developed ever since she worker for the tea-addict.

When she finally got to her apartment, she went straight for the bathroom. After she refreshed herself, she set up her alarm clock and put her suitcase by her room's door side. She had prepared everything she needed after they finished the last case two weeks ago. Basically, in the suitcase were necessities she needed in every cases; specifically packed so she wouldn't suddenly run out of clothes - just left with a pile of dirty laundry - when she got back from a case.

_Click_. She turned off the lights. She lay down on her bed and looked at the glowing stars attached to her ceiling. She could trace the constellations with her eyes as she moved from a Big Dipper to the Aquila to the Canis major and the twelve Zodiacs. Her room occupied nearly half of the space in her apartment which explains how she can fit so many constellations on her ceiling. It took Mai over a year and a half to collect the money to buy and arrange the glowing stars accurately. It was like fitting a piece of puzzle to the others and she enjoyed every second of it.

She became drowsy after she counted the glowing stars instead of counting the sheep. The breathtaking scenery of the makeshift nightsky lulled her to slumber.

* * *

An empty cup was still sitting on the table. It was long ago that someone had finished the contents but he didn't bother to wash it afterwards. He compiled all the datas and paperworks he needed for the case and jot down notes onto his spiral bound notebook. He frequently squinted to look properly but he was getting irritated and sleepy.

"I told you to always switch on the ceiling lamp and not the reading lamp. Besides, it's getting late so let's close up," Lin said as he peered into Naru's office.

Naru turned to look at the clock on his table and saw the truth in Lin's word. _10:45._

"Let's close up."

* * *

Cold. She was feeling cold. The sensation griped her with a high intensity. Her teeth chattered and she shivered. Her surrounding was dark. So dark, she can't see her own hands. It was confining her, choking her. As if she was in a small enclosed room. The oxygen level was getting lower and lower. She began gasping for breath. She was having an attack. She's claustrophobic. Usually she had no problem in a moderately small room but if she's alone, her panic doubled. She had attended therapy for it but sometimes it haunted her; dragging her back when she didn't notice. It wanted her to suffer.

The door to the room opened, allowing some light to enter the room. A figure stood right at the doorway. The person she grew to hate after what evil deeds he has done to her and to her family. He wrecked everything she had; everything she cherished in her life was destroyed right in front of her eyes. She glared at him as hard as she could but she was getting weak with every second passing. Her body couldn't handle it and her eyes lost its fire. No one can save her from this man. She knew it from the beginning but she had two questions that rang in her mind.

_Why didn't he finish me along with my family? Why make me watch as he mutilate them?_

* * *

Constant ringing of the alarm clock was heard. However, the occupant had woken up way before it rang. She had a disturbing dream, that's why. Once she was awaken from those dream, she can't fall back asleep. Anyone would have that reaction. Since she was so used to it, she continued doing her daily routine which consist of making and eating her breakfast before ingesting her medication.

After an hour, she made her way towards the train station. Her destination was Shibuya. She had contacted her bestfriend saying that she was going away for a case and not to worry about her well being.

Upon her arrival there, she could hear a familiar bickering.

"Who did you say a hag? You are such an old man!"

"Huh? What da ya mean, oh dear granma?"

Her lips tugged upwards as she recognized the voices. They were her father and mother figure in the SPR team. Although they liked to argue with each other, everyone knew they would make a lovely couple.

She looked around to locate them and there they were, surrounded by whispering passers-by.

"Bou-san! Ayako!"

"Jou-chan!" Takigawa exclaimed as he spun around within seconds to see his favourite person in the team.

"Mai?" Ayako asked before she too turned back.

"Morning!"

"Morning to you too!" Takigawa said cheerily as Ayako greeted in a soft voice.

"Both of you are going to SPR right? Let's go together then!"

* * *

When they arrived there, John was already waiting inside. He made himself a cup of tea while waiting for the others to come by. When he settled down, that's when the trio showed up.

"Ohayou, John!"

"Ohayou gozaaimasu."

Mai proceeded to the kitchenette and made more tea to serve to her parents' figure and for the two silent men she was working with. After a few more minutes waiting and sipping a nice tea, Hara Masako entered the SPR.

"Hey Masako! Care for a cup of tea?" Mai asked even though she knew the answer.

With gracefulness, Masako nodded and signaled something to Mai using her eyes. Mai seemed to know what Masako meant and smiled. Then, Mai gave her an okay sign.

"What's with the secret gestures?" Takigawa asked.

"Just a woman thing," Masako answered with confidence.

_This is why women are so complicated. They evaded the question and provided more riddles, _Takigawa grumbled in his mind.

Mai reentered the lounge room with a steaming cup of tea. A sweet smell radiated from the tea. Apparently, there was something different about the tea Mai made for everyone else and Masako.

"Everyone is gathered? Good, let's move out!" Naru ordered as soon as he exited his office.

As usual, Naru, Lin, Mai and Masako were in the black van owned by Lin while the others packed inside another van with Takigawa as the driver. For their safety, John decided to sit beside the driver's seat and let Ayako sat in the passenger's seat. The other space was occupied by the equipment for their investigation.

And so, their journey began.


	7. Dreams: Are they connected?

Author's note: Thank you for supporting my work. I'm grateful for the reviews and the favorites and the followers. Without further ado.

* * *

Chapter 7:

"Taniyama?"

"Ah sensei. She's away from school today," Michiru answered.

"Is that so? I get it. Next, Tsuyoshi?"

_It's gonna be a long day_, Michiru thought.

Meanwhile, Mai and Masako was silently making a conversation at the passenger seat. The two silent men were not speaking as usual so even when the girls were whispering, it sounded loud.

"Ne, Mai? It's unimaginable how you survived a long ride in a total silence before we're close," Masako said.

"That's where my iPod come in handy. Wanna listen to their new single?" Mai offered as she handed her earpiece.

Masako took the earpiece and listened to the music.

"Sounds great!"

They continued to chat and listen to a few songs throughout the journey. Eventually, Mai got tired due to her lack of sleep and her eyes were droopy.

"Gomen, Sa-chan. I'm sleepy."

Without hearing a reply, she fall asleep and her head leaned limply against Masako's shoulder.

"Oyasumi Mai," Masako whispered into Mai's ears.

She took out her own earpiece to listen to her favorite song before falling asleep herself.

* * *

As usual, Mai found herself in the black abyss of the astral plane. The glowing orbs of light went against gravity and continued to ascend as high as they could. It was never known whether this plane has an enclosed dimension or it just stretched endlessly. Mai had grown accustomed to this place but she hadn't quite used to the bizarre - and sometimes morbid- visions shown to her whenever they had a case.

This time, however, she explored the plane by herself without her usual spirit guide since he had moved on after his body was uncovered. Meaning to say, it's SPR's first case since Naru came back. As she walked, she sort-of entered a different place as she passed an invisible entrance. She took a deep breath and embarked into the unknown.

* * *

A young girl around the age of 7 was out at the backyard, with her eyes closed.

"3, 2, 1. Ready or not, here I come!"

She began to search around the place; behind a tree, beneath the bench, everywhere. From the corner of her eyes, she saw something moving.

"Found you!" She exclaimed as she sneaked behind another child with the same height as her.

The little girl jumped before whining," Ah~ You found me so quickly, Nee-chan."

"Of course! I'll always find you no matter what," The elder of the two said nonchalantly.

The scene flickered and switched to another view.

"..op,stop!"

No one knew what had happened. The situation inside the room remained a mystery and a shriek resounded within the premises; a shriek full of anguish and melancholy.

* * *

The two young girls were sitting in a room, drawing some pictures with their crayons. The room was painted subtle pink with the carpet being a bright pink. The curtain was a maroon velvet. At one corner of the room, there was a shelf which held toys especially dolls that were kept as a hobby. The two sisters can only be differed from their hair colour- the older one being a brunette and the little girl had a jet black hair.

"Nee-chan?"

"Hmm? What is it, Kii?"

"Will you promise me that you'll always be there for me?"

"I promise. Besides, I'm your older sister so depend on me!"

"Pinky promise?" Kii-chan asked as she held out her pinky finger.

Without hesitation, the sister wrapped her own small pinky around Kii's even smaller pinky,"Pinky promise."

As if like an old television, there was a static and the space warped. The scene faded out and a black screen replaced it.

"No! Don't!"Kii's voice echoed. Her voice was strained and sounded desperate.

* * *

In the real world, Mai was shaken by the medium.

"...ai. Mai. MAI!"

She woke up startled.

"Wha? Oh," she started but soon realized that she had woken up.

"By any chance, did you have this weird dream?" Masako asked, uncertain.

"How'd you know? Don't tell me..."

Masako nodded.

"I see."

They stayed quiet for a while before the car window was knocked.

"Out of the van. We've arrived," Bou-san informed.

Apparently the two teens had yet to noticed that the van had long stopped before they woke up. Now that Bou-san mentioned, they hastily went out of the van with flushed cheeks.

_How __embarrassing! _They both thought.

Naru was already halfway into the Takeda's house after being invited in.

_Wait a minute. Who invited Naru in if Sensei and Sunao-chan is at school? I'm certain that Takeda-san would be working at his office since he's the president, _Mai thought.

The only answer would be to see by herself. She went in along with the rest of the team.

* * *

It turned out that her Sensei took a week leave from school because coincidentally she was feeling unwell for the past days. Being a really hardworking teacher, she was allowed to have the leave even though she informed the school in a short notice (also because she rarely took some day off from work).She showed the team around the house. She walked past portraits of herself and the Takeda family which was hung along the hallway leading to the living room.

As expected from a fairly rich family, the living room looked grand as it was adorned with a small chandelier jutting from the ceiling together with flower arrangements sticking to the wall at various spots. The wall was a pastel green accompanied by a curtain with a slightly darker green. What caught Ayako's attention was a certain design on the wall.

"Beautiful," she complimented.

"Ah, that. Thank you. My daughter drew it as soon as we settled down in this house. She only completed that 2 days ago," Junko-sensei said as she saw what Ayako complimented on.

"Sunao-chan's really talented. The design is very intricate and lovely. The way she portrayed the four season in a single picture is very impressive. Sensei, you must be proud of her," Masako said as she examined the painting.

After they exchanged a few more words, they moved on to the next room which was their dining room which in turn was connected to the kitchen . It was as simple as a rectangular table placed in the middle of the room with 3 sets of chair neatly pushed into the space beneath the table. The dining wares were arranged inside the cupboard and there were a few expensive china included aside from the usual cutleries.

Finally, they were shown to their base, located near the staircase to the second floor. Sensei had briefed the team that the second floor consisted of the master bedrooms, a study room and a balcony. She also showed the SPR where the bathrooms were. Shortly after, she excused herself to rest at her room and insisted to call her if they needed anything. Mai was also granted access to the kitchen to make some tea.

"Lin, Takigawa and Brown-san will bring in the equipment while Hara-san go and have a feel of the house with Matsuzaki-san. Mai and I will be setting up the base. Go!" Naru commanded.

"Roger that!" Bou-san saluted before he marched out of the room while dragging John by his collar.

"Takigawa-san!" John croaked as he felt his throat constricted. Bou-san almost immediately let go of him and apologized cheekily.

Naru sighed. _I feel like I'm working with immature teenagers._

"Naru, I need to use the washroom!" Mai exclaimed before bolting out of the door.

* * *

"What's wrong with Mai?" Ayako asked to particularly no one. Beside her, Masako shrugged. They both went out of the base and started working. Naru was left alone inside the base, reading his usual black file case.

* * *

In the bathroom, Mai was leaning heavily against the door, pinning it shut. Her back slid down and she ended sitting down on the cold floor. Her breathing was shallow and uneven. She saw black spots as a wave of vertigo washed upon her. Reaching into her pocket, she took out her inhaler and used it.

_Of all times, why now? _Then she realized. The dream she had must have caused stress to her subconsciousness Furthermore, her psychic power – which Naru called 'animal instinct'- had caused her to be hypersensitive which means even a slight stress to her subconscious will be alarmingly dangerous._ I had a feeling that I'll be having a hard time surviving this._

Nevertheless, she managed to keep the attack under control and calmed down. There's no use for her to stress over that fact when it's inevitable and there was nothing to do about it. She just needed to cool her head and be ready to overcome the obstacle. That's how she had lived all this time.

Bracing herself, she steadily stood up and walked towards the sink. At first, she wobbled but she attained stability after a few steps. Viewing her reflection in the mirror, she saw eye bag forming under her eyes and she looked a bit drained. She turned the water tap on and contained the water in her hands before splashing the icy cold water onto her face. She did this for a few times to refresh herself. When she felt her exhaustion lifted up, she went out of the door and back into the base.

She bumped into John as she was about to enter the room.

"Mai-san, would you mind opening the door for me? My hands are kind of occupied," John said from behind the monitor he was carrying.

"Sure, here you go John."

He stumbled inside, careful not to drop the equipment because he knew how expensive it was [although he also knew that it was covered with insurance] and how strict Naru was when it comes to his equipment.

"What took you so long, Jou-chan?"

"Really? You just have to ask what took a lady too long inside the bathroom." Ayako said with a snide.

His cheeks flushed as blood rushed to his head. He didn't notice how wrong of him to ask it like that. He stammered but he couldn't get a word out of his lips. In the end, he decided not to talk about it and he blended into the background.

Mai was flustered as well. She can't believe Ayako said those stuff so bluntly. _I mean, doesn't she feel embarrassed or anything?_

Naru cleared his throat. He had enough of this conversation and he didn't want to waste more time; precious time that can be used to do some work. Everyone was already assembled in the base as Masako and Lin went in unnoticed.

"Since the equipment are already brought inside and all of you are here, I suggest that we set up the base together to avoid wastage of time since most of you seemed to have free time to talk rather than work. Move now!" Naru spoke up.

Within an hour, they had all finished setting up. Now, they were sitting on the sofas drinking their steaming cup of white tea. Mai had decided that she will brew white tea for the sake of the team. They cannot afford to get sick during the case especially if it's going to be a difficult one. So far, nothing had happened but it never hurt to be very cautious. If there was one thing John learned in this business, it would be to never underestimate a haunting no matter how easy it seemed. As they say, nothing was always what it seemed to be.

The sun would be setting soon. The once azure sky had been painted crimson red with touches of violet strokes. The revving of an engine can be heard outside. The head of Takeda family had arrived home earlier than usual, probably because he was worried about her wife. After all, the company would do without its president just for a little while.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry if it's a bit boring here. Will have some action in the next chapter. Be patient, people!


	8. It begins

Author's Note: Thanks for being patient with me. I've got lots to do this month. My first interview went horribly but I'm hoping to get the next interview right. Wish me good luck.

* * *

Chapter 8

The smell of lavish food wafted in the air, compelling all the SPR members to fill up their stomachs. Sunao had invited them all to be at the dining hall at exactly half past seven to enjoy dinner together with her family.

"It's time!" Bou-san informed as he hastily went out of the door.

"That gluttonous old geezer!" Ayako exclaimed as she followed him in pursuit, worried that Bou-san might give a bad impression of the team.

John can only sigh and went after them to make sure they didn't end up bickering loudly and disturb the Takeda family. All that remained in the base were Naru, Lin, Masako and Mai. The two females had decided to stay in the base and tell Naru about the strange dream.

"Naru. Earlier I had a dream and perhaps it can shed some light to the case," Mai started.

Naru had a thoughtful look on his face before calling Lin over to hear and record the dream using his laptop. Mai told them everything she saw and every word she heard as best as she could. When Masako mentioned that she was also seeing the same dream, Naru was in his thinking pose; his right hand touched his chin. When both of them finished talking, Naru had excused them to have dinner.

Mai closed the door noiselessly behind her as she and Masako went out of the door, heading to the dining hall. Their footsteps faded away from the base and silence ensued once again. Naru was still thinking deeply about the information Mai had relayed on to him. On the other hand, Lin had returned to the desk which he had claimed will be his for the entire case. Bou-san had wondered out loud as to why Lin had picked that particular desk and placed it at a specific space in the base but he knew that those questions would remain unanswered. Lin's eyebrows had furrowed when he heard him but he decided to ignore the '_musing of an old man_' as Lin insulted him in his mind.

Back in the present at the dining hall, everyone enjoyed their food and shared laughter. The atmosphere was very jolly and light-hearted as if a family was having a reunion and was just catching up on each other; as though there was nothing dangerous lurking in the shadows. At the far corner of the house, a puff of smoke can be seen seeping into the floorboards and into the basement. If one blink, they would have missed it and indeed Lin was distracted from looking into the monitors- maybe it was a coincidence or maybe he was tricked into it. Nevertheless, no one had sense the presence of the mysterious being. Yet.

"Aren't you getting dinner? You haven't eat all day long," the older of the two mentioned as he faced the young boss.

"I'm not. Aren't you?" Naru asked.

"Well, I suggest you come with me. If you don't move from that spot, I will use force to drag you down to the dining hall," Lin replied, slightly threatening.

Naru groaned in frustration before he made a move to the door. He always hated when Lin use threats against him. Although Naru could just refused, he also knew that Lin could be very dangerous if provoked or angered.

Both of them left the base empty, silent with exception of the constant hum of the equipment. Into the monitor, one can see a barely noticable change. A slight static. A distortion in the space. In a glimpse, it was gone. As if it was never there to begin with. The only evidence about it was a message left behind, recorded by the microphone along with the camera capturing the split second anomaly in the space.

Regardless, everything was already set in motion and soon, they will all be in the mercy of the powerful being. They shall fall deep beneath and they will not realize it until it was too late.

* * *

Author's note: Is that enough? I know there was not so much of an action but just spare me this once. I had too many works to do and with tests coming up. I'll try to update once in a while


	9. Finding out

Author's note: At last, we've reached a 100 followers! Woot! Since I'm happy, I shall update twice today..

* * *

Chapter 9:

After dinner (a really short one in Naru's and Lin's case), the team reassembled in the base with content expression, with the exception of the two usual stoic men. Mai and Masako had enjoyed the dinner immensely as the two get to know more about Sunao and her family. Since Sunao was the only child, they found that her parents were pampering her and watch over her as if she was still a young child throughout the dining. Sunao had blushed 7 shades of red when they behave like that. In Mai's heart, she felt a twinge of jealousy and sadness as she remembered her own late parents but she also felt happiness as she too was cared like that by Sunao's parents.

Bou-san and Ayako also had their fair of bickering and snide comments during the dinner. Poor John was ignored as they continued on without noticing that they were disturbing the peace but a loud laughter from Takeda-san silenced them. He had mentioned that before they had married, he and sensei also fight a lot just like Bou-san and Ayako. After that statement, they had abruptly stopped and continued eating in silence.

Now, all but two of them were slumped on the sofa; a little exhausted after the merry dinner and the work they had done during the day. Everyone was relaxing - and in Bou-san's case, he nearly fell asleep- a sharp call 'Naru' from Lin made them feel alert.

"What is it?" Naru asked as he head towards Lin.

"Check this out."

By the time he said that, all the members were focusing on the monitor Lin had pointed.

"There's nothing the..." Bou-san started but trailed off.

In the monitor, they saw the space warped. It happened so fast and yet, so slow. It was as if the time itself was distorted, messed up by whatever was haunting this place. It was not the warped space that caught Mai's attention. It was the symbol that surrounded it. It's shape was unique and mystical and it felt familiar and at the same time, distant. Masako, who had been standing next to Mai, noticed what she saw. They looked as if they were in a trance but it didn't last long before they snapped back to reality.

"Is there a sound?" Naru inquired.

Lin clicked a few stuff and plugged in a speaker into his laptop. It was only a static sound at first but a hushed voice can be heard. Lin edited the sound to exclude the unnecessary noises and other frequencies before replaying the scene.

"Your efforts will all be in vain. I shall attain a great power which I will absorb from its wielder. You will all SUFFER!"

All the ears cringed at the loud, piercing voice. They hadn't expected to hear such menacing voice and a message nonetheless. The gears in Naru's brain had turned as he faced the team.

"As you all heard, this case will be a challenging one. We must move in pairs or three to ensure our safety. The choice to pick your partner is yours," Naru briefed before returning back to his seat and jotting down few notes in his black notebook.

The grandfather clock rang as the minute hand reached 12. It was now nine o'clock at night. Naru had dismissed everyone to retire for the day as they will have to wake up extremely early the next day; at 5 a.m. Of course most of them didn't agree but a stern look from Naru frightened them from going against his words. With a defeated sigh, they all retired to their respective temporary sleeping quarters to rest.

Naru was left in the base with his loyal companion, Lin. They always take the night shift to watch over the monitor although the guardian had repeatedly advised the teenage boss to go ahead and rest too but Naru was being stubborn so Lin was resolved to watch the monitor together with him. Although, in the complete silence, the room felt unoccupied.

In the girl's sleeping quarter, they were still awake. It had been a while since they grouped so the girls decided to catch up on one another for another hour before sleeping. As they busily chat about their lives, the topic about the warped space came back up.

"What do you think about it? I'm creeped out by that voice!" Ayako admitted.

The symbol kept reappearing in Mai's mind. She couldn't get it out of her head and she started breathing heavily. She felt her chest tightened and felt very uncomfortable. Working as a doctor, Ayako was quick to respond.

"What is it Mai?"

Mai clutched her shirt around her chest and pointed desperately pointed to her shorts' pocket. Ayako immediately searched into the pocket and found the inhaler. Visible shock was seen on her face as she saw it but she intended to relief Mai of the pain first. She let Mai inhaled the medicine from the inhaler until Mai's labored breathing ceased. Masako was still in shock, looking at the pained expression on Mai. Ayako gave Mai a few minutes to recover before she speaks up her mind.

"What's going on with you, Mai?"

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Author's note: There you go. Two chaps in a day. I feel accomplished! Well, I sacrificed my sleeping time for this so be grateful. Hahaha Jk. Enjoy.


	10. Finding out Part II

Author's note: *sigh* Procrastination... Well, here's another chap for you as I procrastinate my school works. **Wish me luck for my important assessment tomorrow~**

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Previously-

"What is it Mai?"

Mai clutched her shirt around her chest and pointed desperately pointed to her shorts' pocket. Ayako immediately searched into the pocket and found the inhaler. Visible shock was seen on her face as she saw it but she intended to relief Mai of the pain first. She let Mai inhaled the medicine from the inhaler until Mai's labored breathing ceased. Masako was still in shock, looking at the pained expression on Mai. Ayako gave Mai a few minutes to recover before she speaks up her mind.

"What's going on with you, Mai?"

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Chapter 10:

Mai looked troubled as she avoided eye contact with either Ayako or Masako. Her condition that she tried hard to keep secret was revealed and she can't help but cringe as Ayako gave a stern but concerned look. _There's no way to escape her.I have no other choice._

Meanwhile, the males were inside their sleeping quarter opposite to girls'. However, unlike the girls, they had fallen asleep almost immediately upon lying down on the mattress. Sensei had made sure that the futon were comfortable for them before retiring to the master room. She hadn't checked on the females because she had heard them conversing with each other happily and she didn't want to disturb them so she just let them be. Little did she know that if she stayed, she might have found the reason why Mai was always in the infirmary.

In the base, Lin had prepared a futon for himself and Naru to sleep on late into the night. It had been a custom for them to sleep in the base so they will notice irregularities shortly after something happened. They were too busy doing work that they didn't realize that the hushed conversation of the females muffled by the walls had disappeared completely. Silence were dominating the house.

The moon was high up in the sky, illuminating the dark night sky. From outside, you can see the lights were still on in the girls' room. Inside, the three girls were sitting on the bed, all wide awake. Mai had explained her situation to the other two; the duo had been silent as they tried to digest the information. Mai had long since she recovered from the attack and was preparing herself for questions from them. She expected them to bombard her with scoldings and lectures because she had hidden her health problems from them but they didn't. Instead they stayed quiet until Masako spoke up.

"How long have you been having the attacks?"

"Not too long after Naru and Lin went back to England. I've done therapy for it for a whole month before I got it under control but I've been having the recurrent attack recently," Mai responded, though she avoided disclosing facts about her experience in the therapy.

Masako's and Ayako's face showed disappointment. This got Mai confused before Ayako said,"So, for the whole time when Naru and Lin was gone and we were not keeping in touch, you were alone suffering? What have I done letting you by your own?" It was their disappointment of themselves for they were not there when Mai needed them the most.

Ayako's voice cracked a little as unshed tears were visible in her eyes. Masako was sharing the same sentiment as she leaned nearer to Mai and hugged her. She was gonna make sure that from now on, Mai will never feel lonely and she promised to herself that she will always be there for Mai.

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The next day, Mai found herself tucked in the bed. She didn't remember falling asleep nor did she remember who tucked her in. The room was quite dim but she can see that the maroon velvet curtain blocked out the sun rays from entering the room. She had suspected that the other two females were responsible for keeping her asleep even though Naru had told that all of them were to wake up early. _Not that I can blame them. They were quite shocked about not being able to be by my side when the attacks started._

Nevertheless, Mai got up and went straight for the bathroom located inside the room itself. Like every other days, she did the breathing exercises and sniffed lemon balm before showering. After about fifteen minutes, she heard the outer door opened.

"Mai, you're in the shower?"

"Yes. I'm finishing in a bit," she replied as she wrapped herself using the towel before exiting the washroom.

Ayako had prepared her clothes for her and waited for her to get dressed. Mai wore an emerald flannel vest over baby blue tank top with denim blue jeans fastened with her light grey belt. After she was done, they headed over to the base.

**Mai's POV**

"Is Naru angry?"

"Nope, I've got it covered," Ayako said ambiguously.

_Somehow, I got the feeling that the two had been fighting verbally but I can't imagine Naru losing to Ayako. There must be something going on_.

" Takigawa-san and Brown-san, check the camera number 4. It's not working, go!" Naru barked as we neared the base.

Contrary to what Ayako said, he sounded pissed off and grumpy than usual. I braced myself before entering the base.

"You're still... Oh, Mai. Make me some tea," Naru said as he sat down on a lone chair facing the monitor.

Since the kitchen was opposite to the base, I decided to go off that point, I haven't had the faintest idea that I was about to be brought along on a daring, little adventure; all the while waiting for my tea to be ready. Unraveling the secrets and a surprising discovery.

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Author's Note: Next chapter, the case will move along.. Now, I've got writer's block


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